Friends of Fulham

Interested to know your views

Yes he has had a great few months, but I believe that is far too much.

Yes, a hard player for us to replace

I read today that mackintosh has stated that all money made from Fulham pier does count towards SCR so it will be interesting to see how much that helps boost our revenue but at the moment we need to get the wage bill down.

Would depend on what he's currently on, and therefore what the increase would be, compared against the total cost of finding a similar replacement.

But I'm inclined to say yes, on the basis that he scores goals of such a manner that none of our other present attackers do.

Yes. Paying him 120000 a week on a 4 yr deal is less than what they will be spending to bring Chuk in. He's still a bargain financially at that point.

Unfortunately I think what Fulham are willing to pay is likely 3rd most important behind Marco's standing and European football opportunities at this point. He'll probably have atleast a half dozen clubs willing to pay the 100 to 120000 a week or more.

Quote from: WolverineFFC on March 25, 2026, 04:18:47 PMYes. Paying him 120000 a week on a 4 yr deal is less than what they will be spending to bring Chuk in. He's still a bargain financially at that point.

Unfortunately I think what Fulham are willing to pay is likely 3rd most important behind Marco's standing and European football opportunities at this point. He'll probably have atleast a half dozen clubs willing to pay the 100 to 120000 a week or more.

Paying him north of 100k a week when he's just turned 29 isn't a sustainable model though moving forward given SCR - we'd be liable to pay him that until he's 33 and realistically we'd struggle to sell him because once you start paying him north of 100k then with him turning 3,0 he'd have to take a pay cut to leave and he'd have 0 motivation to do so. Yes he's been good this year, but his form this year has been the exception rather than the norm, and most of his goals have been speculative long range efforts which in other seasons don't go in, and before you know it he's back to being below a 10 G/A player again, except this time he's got 0 sell on value and we're paying him huge wages

He's had a great season, I love him and what he does for the team but . . .
It's only relatively recently he has really hit the heights, can he repeat that for the next x years? All players have a simple graph of their careers; it goes up and up until they reach peak and then drops down. Big question is; where is he on that graph? Answers on a postcard . . . . .

Don't think it's the money, as he'll probably get a big lump sum (£10m+) as a signing on fee with another club

Quote from: Deeping_white on March 25, 2026, 04:44:53 PM

Quote from: WolverineFFC on March 25, 2026, 04:18:47 PMYes. Paying him 120000 a week on a 4 yr deal is less than what they will be spending to bring Chuk in. He's still a bargain financially at that point.

Unfortunately I think what Fulham are willing to pay is likely 3rd most important behind Marco's standing and European football opportunities at this point. He'll probably have atleast a half dozen clubs willing to pay the 100 to 120000 a week or more.

Paying him north of 100k a week when he's just turned 29 isn't a sustainable model though moving forward given SCR - we'd be liable to pay him that until he's 33 and realistically we'd struggle to sell him because once you start paying him north of 100k then with him turning 3,0 he'd have to take a pay cut to leave and he'd have 0 motivation to do so. Yes he's been good this year, but his form this year has been the exception rather than the norm, and most of his goals have been speculative long range efforts which in other seasons don't go in, and before you know it he's back to being below a 10 G/A player again, except this time he's got 0 sell on value and we're paying him huge wages

We just completed paying Raul the same amount at an older age. Sell on just isn't a big deal in these circumstances. I used the 4 yr deal as an example to juxtapose against Chuk's contract which I think would be 4+1. Not sure I'd give 4 either, but 3 or 3+1 would be fine w me.

This most reminds me of Clint Dempsey. Struggled to get in our team for so long. When finally given a run (and some form) he is looking elsewhere. No hate, but the grass isn't always greener. Like Marco, where is he going to go where he will be a long term success? He needs to be playing regularly and top teams won't offer him that. Maybe Villa or Newcastle? I still remember him cupping his ears to the crowd in the Championship a bit too much (with Mitro and Carvalho and lookk how they turned out)

No doubt whatever happens people will think the club screwed up. If Wilson stays on a massive contract, people will say FFC have got it wrong. And if he leaves for free, people will say FFC have got it wrong by not offering him enough. A pointless poll.

Look, it's a balancing act - he's done very well and over the course of the season.. but the interesting thing is that his goals are similar in number to Raul's this season, yet not half as much has been made about Raul's contract ending.

I suppose a few of Raul's goals are penalties, so decisive but less action and in game goals, like Wilson's.

Wilson has 16 goal contributions, whilst Raul has 13.

I think Wilson is in an interesting place, and it's an interesting situation to be in, in the sense that he's done very well by our standards and PL standards, and whilst a lot of that is on him, it's also environmental re the squad, the club, coaches and Marco helping him to reach those.. There's a chance though, and this is the risk, that it could be just the one season that he hits these heights, reflecting on the fact he hasn't done so before, and is also getting older.

Does he move? Who knows - but it could either simply sustain where he's at - completely disrupt it in a negative way or improve it.. no-one will know until the decisions made and time has past.

If I were him, I'd probably stay where I am - if I'm good at what I do, have a manager who I think can get the best out of me, and a squad that seems to be getting more exciting young players, I have the ability to be a leader and key player for a developing squad that has shown the potential to go toe-to-toe with the best clubs.

Internationally it's a different picture as he's been a welsh international even when in the Championship.

I suppose the only potential added thing is how much he wants to play in Europe (supposing Villa will play next season), and then perhaps whether he wants to be closer to Wrexham, where he grew up? Villa works on both fronts, but then there aren't any guarantees he'll play regularly as the competition is more fierce. With us now he's a starter and one of our key players, do I think Wilson will be the same at Villa, not so sure.

So yes, he may play a bit of european football - but how much vs how much on the bench - anybody's guess.

All to say, is he worth giving a three year contract for £120k a week? It seems on the higher end - though I'm perhaps gauging this more on historic wages as it being on the top end.. I think what seems fair is a £80k/similar base with performance related add-ons.

If Wilson is that good, it should be seen as a potential sure thing..?

He has obviously loved it, been the best period of his career, we have to try and match what anyone else offers, within reason, as long as his agent is decent, and I can't see Harry having anything else, there should be honesty on both sides and we can get it done, Harry has been good for us, and we have been good for him, as Wayne said at the weekend, we are a good match.

When Leno is on £130k a week and costing us points, wilson on £100k is a no brainier.

Surely a half decent "replacement" would cost us circa £20m transfer plus salary - so £5.2 to £6.2m a year to Harry over 4 years seems a no brainer to me.

Quote from: WokingFFC on March 26, 2026, 04:38:31 PMSurely a half decent "replacement" would cost us circa £20m transfer plus salary - so £5.2 to £6.2m a year to Harry over 4 years seems a no brainer to me.

But a hypothetical replacement will likely be younger and have some resale value which in turn generates revenue back for the club. With the new FFP model, Fulham can't really afford too many players in their 30's on big salaries anymore because we need to generate revenue through sales. In the last few years we've had quite a few players run down their contracts and leave on a free, and this would likely turn into another example and starting from next season we can't be in that position.

Quote from: Jim© on March 26, 2026, 04:28:10 PMWhen Leno is on £130k a week and costing us points, wilson on £100k is a no brainier.

So when Wilson has a shot and misses, does that cost us points as well ?

Been great for the club, but if that's the weekly cost and 4 years contract, then a no from me.

Moot, anyhow as he will go, gets a big signing on fee for it too, and agent/player greed means he will go for that

Quote from: Deeping_white on March 26, 2026, 04:49:35 PM

Quote from: WokingFFC on March 26, 2026, 04:38:31 PMSurely a half decent "replacement" would cost us circa £20m transfer plus salary - so £5.2 to £6.2m a year to Harry over 4 years seems a no brainer to me.

But a hypothetical replacement will likely be younger and have some resale value which in turn generates revenue back for the club. With the new FFP model, Fulham can't really afford too many players in their 30's on big salaries anymore because we need to generate revenue through sales. In the last few years we've had quite a few players run down their contracts and leave on a free, and this would likely turn into another example and starting from next season we can't be in that position.

Unless that younger player coming in does what Wilson's done and runs down his contract. Then any resale value goes up in smoke unfortunately  ::cry::

Everything is relative regarding money. If it takes that much to keep him, it's worth the investment.
Wilson has turned into a terrific asset for the club. What money was Mitro on? Maybe not as much. His salary should have been doubled if that was the deciding factor in whether he stayed or left. The life as a professional footballer is not that long. Money is important as a financial safeguard for the player's future. 
I don't smoke but how much is a pack of 20 cigarettes?? 15-18 pounds? Exorbitant yet smokers don't bat an eyelid. Like I say, everything is relative.

Quote from: Cornishnick on March 25, 2026, 05:23:27 PMHe's had a great season, I love him and what he does for the team but . . .
It's only relatively recently he has really hit the heights, can he repeat that for the next x years? All players have a simple graph of their careers; it goes up and up until they reach peak and then drops down. Big question is; where is he on that graph? Answers on a postcard . . . . .

The answer is, no one knows. A report by Taylor and Francis in their International Journal of Performance Analysis reveals that from a seasonal test/study/data from 637 professional players, modern day players peak at around 26. But that is not to say that they cease being good footballers. Look at Ronaldo, Dzeko, Modric or even Jimenez at Fulham who will be 35 in May. A club could buy Erling Haaland for 220 million Euros and the first match he plays in after signing, he breaks his leg and is never the same again. In football, anything is a gamble. Look at Mbappe. He has not been the same player since leaving PSG for Real Madrid and now he's hampered with injuries. But with today's laws and VAR, the hard tackling that ended players' careers back in the day are mainly over now. So, in summary, Harry Wilson is worth that investment as there is no reason why he cannot continue performing at the level he has now found at Fulham this season. However, I don't agree that there is a queue of other clubs waiting to sign Harry Wilson, as his age at 29 is a deterrent, and not, on paper, a sound investment.

Quote from: alfie on March 26, 2026, 05:17:49 PM

Quote from: Jim© on March 26, 2026, 04:28:10 PMWhen Leno is on £130k a week and costing us points, wilson on £100k is a no brainier.

So when Wilson has a shot and misses, does that cost us points as well ?

I think you get the very basic comparison. This season wilson has overperformed his xg by a huge amount (and did last too). Leno for 2 seasons has let more goals in than the stats state that he should have. I know which one out of the two deserves the higher paypacket.

Quote from: Jim© on March 27, 2026, 07:03:10 AM

Quote from: alfie on March 26, 2026, 05:17:49 PM

Quote from: Jim© on March 26, 2026, 04:28:10 PMWhen Leno is on £130k a week and costing us points, wilson on £100k is a no brainier.

So when Wilson has a shot and misses, does that cost us points as well ?

I think you get the very basic comparison. This season wilson has overperformed his xg by a huge amount (and did last too). Leno for 2 seasons has let more goals in than the stats state that he should have. I know which one out of the two deserves the higher paypacket.

So what about Wilson for the previous 2 seasons when he was bang average and Leno was outstanding? You argument doesn't stand up

Absolutely. He became that x-factor player who can make something out of nothing we have been craving for previous seasons.

Kevin and Bobb could be that kind of players but obviously not there yet.

I think he's going.  A signing on fee would be a massive plus for him and maybe he wants a new challenge?  Wished we'd renegotiated last season and extended his contract on improved terms but it is what it is...

I so wish I was the one on here who could definitely see into the future but I'm no and I can't so I just didn't vote coz I don't know . I love having him at Fulham but it's happened god knows how many times since I've been going . What will be will be .
Bit of a waste of a post I guess

As we all know, if you wish to improve and build on what has been achieved so far. You must try and keep your key players, and Wilson currently is one of them.

It is a long time since I have watched a match like last night where every time he touched the ball a Fulham player was being considered the possible saviour. That is how the Welsh press and sports commentators now think of Harry Wilson.

Considering the fact the law allows players to run their contract down and profit from a big signing on fee instead of clubs paying a transfer fee, he's worth £120,000 a week.

Anything close to that amount is crazy but it's how it is.

IMO I believe the club won't push too hard to re sign him as the policy seems to have moved towards younger players.
I also have a feeling he fancies a new challenge and is set to go if the right offer is there.

Quote from: bobbo on March 27, 2026, 09:30:43 AMI so wish I was the one on here who could definitely see into the future but I'm no and I can't so I just didn't vote coz I don't know . I love having him at Fulham but it's happened god knows how many times since I've been going . What will be will be .
Bit of a waste of a post I guess

I wish I could see into the future Mr Bobbo.

I went to see a psychic the other day. I asked her if I was going to jail some time in the future. She said no, so I robbed her.

I'm also not having much luck with jobs lately.

I wasn't suited to be a tailor.

The muffler factory was just exhausting.

I couldn't cut it as a barber.

I didn't have the patience to be a doctor.

I wasn't a good fit in the shoe factory even though I put my soul into it.

The paper shop folded.

 Pool maintenance was too draining.

I got fired from the cannon factory.

And I just couldn't see any future as a Historian.

Let him go and sign Chuck

180 Appearances (not starts) 81 G/A

Despite not being our main starter since the Champ days, he's probably been in the top 3 G/A contributors every season in the PL.

I think this is an outcome of poor planning, and something we see often - including with Silva.

We shouldn't be letting starters run their contract down.

Wilson should stay. He's dynamic and intricate in the final third, and probably covers the number 10 spot too as he ages.

But his next deal is probably his last 3-4 year deal, so I don't blame him for seeing the offers come his way now he's finally getting the praise he deserves.

Quote from: KJS on March 27, 2026, 07:48:30 AM

Quote from: Jim© on March 27, 2026, 07:03:10 AM

Quote from: alfie on March 26, 2026, 05:17:49 PM

Quote from: Jim© on March 26, 2026, 04:28:10 PMWhen Leno is on £130k a week and costing us points, wilson on £100k is a no brainier.

So when Wilson has a shot and misses, does that cost us points as well ?

I think you get the very basic comparison. This season wilson has overperformed his xg by a huge amount (and did last too). Leno for 2 seasons has let more goals in than the stats state that he should have. I know which one out of the two deserves the higher paypacket.

So what about Wilson for the previous 2 seasons when he was bang average and Leno was outstanding? You argument doesn't stand up

Well what you've illustrated is the Leno is on the decline whilst Wilson is improving. Pretty obvious which trend I'd back.

Samuel Chukwueze £6,240,000
Raul Jimenez     £5,200,000
Alex Iwobi       £4,160,000
Rodrigo Muniz    £3,120,000
Harry Wilson     £2,860,000

Show him the money! ::scarf::

If I remember correctly, new financial regs will limit our wage budget, so this should be factored into any discussions. We've previously signed older players on the cheap by giving them a hefty salary, but that's more of a risk now.

My answer to the poll is yes. I'd gladly keep him at £100k/week but I feel it's probably going to take £150k+/week to keep him and to that my answer is no.

He is 29 years old. £120k a week. He's having a laugh.

Quote from: Bronaldinho on March 27, 2026, 11:04:10 AM180 Appearances (not starts) 81 G/A

Despite not being our main starter since the Champ days, he's probably been in the top 3 G/A contributors every season in the PL.

I think this is an outcome of poor planning, and something we see often - including with Silva.

We shouldn't be letting starters run their contract down.

Wilson should stay. He's dynamic and intricate in the final third, and probably covers the number 10 spot too as he ages.

But his next deal is probably his last 3-4 year deal, so I don't blame him for seeing the offers come his way now he's finally getting the praise he deserves.

It's all very well saying we shouldn't let starters run down their contracts but what if he's refused to sign? We can't make him sign.

Quote from: Bronaldinho on March 27, 2026, 11:04:10 AM180 Appearances (not starts) 81 G/A

Despite not being our main starter since the Champ days, he's probably been in the top 3 G/A contributors every season in the PL.

I think this is an outcome of poor planning, and something we see often - including with Silva.

We shouldn't be letting starters run their contract down.

Wilson should stay. He's dynamic and intricate in the final third, and probably covers the number 10 spot too as he ages.

But his next deal is probably his last 3-4 year deal, so I don't blame him for seeing the offers come his way now he's finally getting the praise he deserves.

32 of those are from the championship season so I don't think that's necessarily a fair stat to use given he was part of the most prolific front 3 that league has ever seen. So that then makes 49 from 137, of which 18 of them are from this season which has very much been the outlier in his 4 PL seasons with us (18 G/A in 34) which means the past 3 years has been 31 in 103 and that paints a very different picture for someone asking for 6 figures weekly.

Sure he's had a great year and I won't deny that, and if he was able to perform like this for another 2 seasons then it probably softens the blow of overpaying him, however he's outperforming his scoring against pretty much every metric available which suggests there's a fair bit of good fortune in his G/A which if you look at most of his efforts being from range, there's a decent chance he doesn't keep that scoring form up long term. If next season he goes back to his baseline performance of the last 3 seasons (and we also have to factor in that he's a winger and so age will start to impact his output too), all of a sudden paying him £120k a week means we've got to factor in north of £6m a year for his salary.

I would also want to see him impacting play a lot more for 90 mins, some of his G/A have helped take the spotlight away from him having a quiet game up to that point, such as Brighton with the last min FK. Sure you could argue that he's getting paid the big bucks to be a matchwinner, but I don't think with the upcoming SCR rules that Fulham can afford to keep an ageing winger around on that kind of salary in the hopes he pops up with a bit of magic every other week.

Quote from: Woolly Mammoth on March 27, 2026, 09:44:53 AM

Quote from: bobbo on March 27, 2026, 09:30:43 AMI so wish I was the one on here who could definitely see into the future but I'm no and I can't so I just didn't vote coz I don't know . I love having him at Fulham but it's happened god knows how many times since I've been going . What will be will be .
Bit of a waste of a post I guess

I wish I could see into the future Mr Bobbo.

I went to see a psychic the other day. I asked her if I was going to jail some time in the future. She said no, so I robbed her.

I'm also not having much luck with jobs lately.

I wasn't suited to be a tailor.

The muffler factory was just exhausting.

I couldn't cut it as a barber.

I didn't have the patience to be a doctor.

I wasn't a good fit in the shoe factory even though I put my soul into it.

The paper shop folded.

 Pool maintenance was too draining.

I got fired from the cannon factory.

And I just couldn't see any future as a Historian.

well done woolly can always rely on you for a bit of humour 😆😂😆

Quote from: bobbo on March 27, 2026, 06:54:55 PM

Quote from: Woolly Mammoth on March 27, 2026, 09:44:53 AM

Quote from: bobbo on March 27, 2026, 09:30:43 AMI so wish I was the one on here who could definitely see into the future but I'm no and I can't so I just didn't vote coz I don't know . I love having him at Fulham but it's happened god knows how many times since I've been going . What will be will be .
Bit of a waste of a post I guess

I wish I could see into the future Mr Bobbo.

I went to see a psychic the other day. I asked her if I was going to jail some time in the future. She said no, so I robbed her.

I'm also not having much luck with jobs lately.

I wasn't suited to be a tailor.

The muffler factory was just exhausting.

I couldn't cut it as a barber.

I didn't have the patience to be a doctor.

I wasn't a good fit in the shoe factory even though I put my soul into it.

The paper shop folded.

 Pool maintenance was too draining.

I got fired from the cannon factory.

And I just couldn't see any future as a Historian.

well done woolly can always rely on you for a bit of humour 😆😂😆

Got the sack in the weavers,

Threw in the towel at the swimming baths,

Was damned working in the church,

Edit: I want more 😂 can we turn this thread into this instead?